Fashion policeFashion police

Iran shutters 800 clothing stores over ‘inappropriate’ attire

Police raid shops believed to be selling un-Islamic, Western-style outfits

By AP 5 September 2016, 10:36 pm 0 Edit

Iranian women shop for scarves at the ancient Grand Bazaar of the holy city of Qom, 130 kilometers south of Tehran, on February 24, 2016. (AFP / ATTA KENARE)

TEHRAN — Iran’s state TV says police have shut down more than 800 clothing stores across the country for selling “unconventional and inappropriate” attire — believed to mean Western-style outfits and women’s clothing that doesn’t meet strict Islamic requirements.

Monday’s report says the raids took place over a 10-day span after authorities first sent official warnings to merchants in more than 3,600 shops.

Iranian police and state TV have in recent weeks campaigned against selling second-hand clothes, which are considered “unhygienic,” as well as clothes with English language print on them.

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution brought Islamists to power in Iran, women are required to cover themselves from head to toe in loose-fitting simple overcoats that hide the feminine shape. They are also required to cover their heads with scarves.